Although it might feel a long way down the road, NBA All-Star Weekend is, in reality, just around the corner.
After the 2025 All-Star Weekend posted poor ratings, the league has changed things up a bit this go-around as it relates to both the format of the All-Star Game and the overall selection process. These changes should hopefully garner added interest in the event—from both fans and players—and increase the overall competitiveness and significance of the game and weekend.
But before we even get to that point, fans must spend the next month voting for the players they want to see in the event. On that front, we've laid out all the information you'll need below:
NBA All-Star voting schedule
Voting for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game begins at 12 p.m. ET on Dec. 17 and will conclude on Jan. 14 at 11:59 p.m. ET, per the NBA.
Twelve All-Stars from each conference will be selected in total. The five players selected as starters will be chosen by fans (50% of the vote), current NBA players (25% of the vote), and a group of media members (25%). The seven players chosen as reserves for each conference will be selected by NBA head coaches.
How to vote
Any fan with an NBA ID can submit one ballot each day using the NBA App and on NBA.com. There will also be so-called "3-for-1 days," wherein a single vote will count three times. Those days will be Dec. 21, Dec. 25, Dec. 30, Jan. 7 and Jan. 14.
When is the 2026 All-Star Game?
The 2026 All-Star Game is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026 at 5 p.m. ET. It will take place at the Intuit Dome.
The full 2026 All-Star Weekend will run from Feb. 13-Feb. 15, 2026.
How is this year's All-Star Game different from last year's?
Back in November, the NBA announced some highly anticipated changes to both the All-Star Game and the selection process.
For starters, the game has been reimagined to fit a "U.S. vs. the World" format, wherein there will be two eight-man teams of American players and one eight-man team of international selections.
Secondly, although player selection will still occur as a result of fan, media and player voting/coach selection, there will no longer be any positional requirements. That means the starters for each conference will be the top five vote-getters, regardless of position, and the same methodology will apply for the reserves.
That said, if the 24 overall players selected do not evenly fit into the 16-8 U.S. vs. International split, commissioner Adam Silver will name extra players to the roster so that there are at least 16 Americans and at least eight international players.
And lastly, though the game will feature the usual 12-minute quarters, said frames will be played differently than in the past. This year, the first three quarters will constitute round-robin play for all three of the eight-man teams, wherein each roster plays twice. The final quarter will then feature the two best teams following the round-robin series.
If all three teams have 1-1 records by the fourth quarter, the two teams with the best point differentials will then advance to the championship game.
How to buy tickets to the 2026 All-Star Game
Fans can purchase tickets to the game and the weekend on the NBA Experiences website.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NBA 2026 All-Star Voting Schedule & Rules Explained.